#streets of rage
#streets of rage
by Amr (@siegarettes)
With a high detail, pre-rendered art style, an aggressive techo-rock soundtrack and high-speed free flowing combat, The Takeover feels like an alternative history sequel to Streets of Rage, and its accompanying 90’s brawler aesthetics. Homages are abound in every moment, with plenty of familiar characters and settings, and tracks that channel SOR so hard that they even hired composer Yuzo Koshiro to contribute. There are even interlude missions that break up the pacing with minigames in the style of classic SEGA arcade games. Matching those aesthetics so closely provides a good example of how they can be modernized, and what remains fraught.
By: Omar (@siegarettes)
Playstation Mobile is about to be put to rest, but not before one final shout before its end. Oh Deer! is both thorough homage and recontextualization, something that repurposes the aesthetics and vibrations of the original game for a cheap and absurd shock. That is, it’s an Outrun style driving game where you drive a station wagon through lines of deer on your way to grandma’s house.
By: Omar (@siegarettes)
When we talk about the best of videogame composers, the same names often get brought up. Nobuo Uematsu, Koji Kondo, Grant Kirkhope and Koh Ohtani. While those composers have rightfully earned their place, it often makes for a predictable list. A lot of talented composers tend to get lost in the mix, either due to the games they work on not feeling as monumental, or because they weren’t as well known in English speaking territories.
One of these composers would be Yuzo Koshiro. Best known for his work on the Streets of Rage series, Koshiro’s best works communicate a strong energy. There’s a momentum to a his work that carries through multiple generations of hardware.